


Press Statements

by Breyito



Series: Words that come and go... [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: And Steve Rogers broke it, Angst, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, Gen, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-26
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-18 07:20:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7304926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Breyito/pseuds/Breyito
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, the media distorts what people (mainly Tony Stark) say, twist the words around to make a story more exciting, more dramatic. But when what Tony Stark says strikes the world as a kick in the teeth, there is no need to change <i>any</i> word of his...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. PART I

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, I'm SO thankful to everyone of you! Thank you for reading, for commenting, for the kudos and the bookmarks and everything. You are amazing =D  
> Now, this new installment is going to have at least two parts, because the media is never ending, and my ideas have not reached the limit yet, so...xD  
> So, this story is about all the things Tony said to the media in an official capacity, during different times after CACW. It's not gonna be in order, so I'll give an approximate date for each 'speech'.  
> (Oh, BTW, I am not from the US, so if a particular part of this work offends you, I didn't mean it.)  
> Hope you like it!

_{{---Six months after the Superhero Civil War--}}_

“So you are saying that you wouldn’t have defended Col. Rhodes were you on Mr. Roger’s place?” Christine Everhart, everybody, no soul and ho heart in sight yet.

“No, I’m saying I would have been _smarter_ about it. If you want to exonerate someone, you don’t drag around that person breaking every law in the way! You don’t add more people (neutral parties who were protected and _safe_ ) into the mix so you can win in a brutal fight against the people that are trying to _help_ you. You sit down, you talk, and you _listen_. You get a lawyer, good PR people, you get _evidence_. You tell the story right, make the public and the world believe you, and with concrete proof backing up what you are saying. And if you can’t put together something like that, if you need help, you _ask_ for it. You don’t spit in the face of the one that’s giving you and your friend a second chance.” he says, glaring at the camera while a flash of hurt crosses his deep brown eyes.

 

_{{---Seven weeks after the Superhero Civil War---}}_

 “So, I was asked to give a statement about the events that occurred since the UN meeting in Vienna to sing the Accords; and the reason why now Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff (all ex-members of the Avengers), as well as Scott Lang and James Barnes are fugitives of the law. To start, I’d really like to say that my delay in showing up in front of the cameras was because I’ve been busy with a new SI phone or some new awesome product we’re going to launch very soon; but you’ve all seen the pictures that were leaked in the internet, about me and my amazing collection of bruises, fractured and broken bones, contusions and the like; so I won’t try it." Uncomfortable laughter. "First of all, the bombing to the UN was orchestrated by Halmut Zemo, a highly intelligent man that lost his family in Sokovia, and who framed James Barnes for it. Zemo is now in prison and he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. But I know what you all really want to know: was I injured while fighting my former team mates at the Leipzig Airport? Yes, I was. But the most serious of my wounds come from battling with two super soldiers on my own, in an abandoned HYDRA base in Siberia. One of them was Steve Rogers, most known as Captain America; the other one was James Barnes, mostly known as the Winter Soldier.” There is uproar from the press, and Tony shakily grabs the glass of water and gulps down half of it in one go.  


“Now, you might be wondering why Siberia, right? Well, HYDRA had on its power five other Winter Soldiers in that base, in cryogenic stasis. This technology is mostly used after death, but because of the Super Soldier Serum this organization used on said soldiers, they were “stored away”, alive but in a coma-like state, until their services were needed again by HYDRA. They were killed by Zemo in their cryogenic chambers before we arrived at the scene.” Turmoil was heard again, but Tony ignored it until the room was mostly silent. “Captain Rogers and his companion set to find Zemo after the fight in the Leipzig, in which Colonel Rhodes was…was paralyzed,” A pause and shaking hands grabbing the stand so hard they are white are clear sings of how much this is affecting the billionare. “and the other members of the Captain’s team were apprehended.  The Avengers that signed the Accords had no knowledge of the threat that was Baron Zemo at the time of the battle in the airport, because the Captain had failed to inform us of his existence. After Captain Rogers and Sam Wilson had helped Barnes scape from the facility in which he was contained, leaving behind a trail of dead civilians (or so we believed then); Secretary of Defense, General Ross, gave us 36 hours to bring in the Winter Soldier along with Rogers and Wilson. It was either us apprehending them, or a specialized team with orders of shooting them all on sight.” Yells come from the crowd and Tony doesn’t need to hear to know what the question is. “Yes, even Captain America. I found out about Halmut Zemo from a few words said before the fight started and from an intentional trail the man left to lure me in. So, after finding out the base location, I immediately flew there to help my ex-leader and his friend, who I now knew had been framed for the UN bombing in Vienna, stop Zemo and the Super Soldiers. The three of us met in the base and agreed to take Zemo in for justice, and to defeat the soldiers if they were awake already. Needless to say, that plan went to hell in a handbasket pretty soon; Zemo had never wanted to use the Winter Soldiers, he wanted them dead. What he _did_ want was to show me the mission report from Dicember 16 th, 1991.” A few seconds of silence until the gasps of shock and outrage began, along with murmured ‘no way’s and ‘impossible’. 

“To those who are thinking the worst, you are right. My parents _were_ killed by the first Winter Soldier, James Barnes;” Pause to take a deep breath, “and I saw all of it on a video that Zemo found in some HYDRA archives. My father had his face smashed in by that metal arm, and my…my _mom_ ” the word was choked, “was killed from a broken neck.” Tony was starting to lose it, you could tell from his quick breathing and the wet glow of his eyes. “I was… _shocked_ is too little of a word, I think. When I turned to attack Barnes, the man I had just seen killing my parents, Rogers stopped me, of course. And when I saw his eyes, I knew it; so I asked him. I asked if he knew my parents hadn’t died in a car accident; if he knew and _hadn’t told me_. He tried to lie, but then told me he had known. And I lost it, then. I pushed Rogers away and attacked Barnes. Obviously, fighting against two Super Soldiers at once was not a good idea, because they were _not_ pulling their punches. I ended up blowing the metal arm off Barnes, and Rogers threw me to the floor and smashed the shield onto my helmet until it cracked, and then smashed it into the Arc Reactor, shutting the suit off…” whispers in the crowd make him lift his gaze up, and he smiles bitterly. “and yes, almost killing me. Then, he threw the shield to the floor and left with the Winter Soldier.” Silence reigns in the room. 

“Two hours later, I managed to crawl out of the useless armor and contact Vision through an old radio inside the base. He showed up with medical help a few hours later and we went right to the hospital Col. Rhodes had been admitted into after the Airport battle. I was suffering from severe hypothermia and they told me it was a miracle that my head wounds had let me wake up at all and _move_ let alone _think_ , or that any of my broken ribs hadn’t punctured my lungs. I spent the first five weeks in the hospital high on painkillers; and the last two between UN meetings, doctor appointments and trying to create a method to give my best friend his legs back. I’m still working on that last one.  


“Now, I’ll be brief with this last part. James Barnes was cleared from the bombing charges, but not from the Winter Soldier crimes or the killings committed in his scape; he is still wanted for that, and for his involvement in a break from the Raft prison.  Steve Rogers is wanted for his involvement in the escape of Barnes from a government building, violating a bunch of international laws, stealing government gear, destroying an airport and for commanding a prison break on the Raft. Clinton Barton, Wanda Maximoff, Scott Lang are wanted for collaborating with wanted felons, destroying an airport and escaping imprisonment. Sam Wilson is wanted for the same reasons, adding charges for stealing government gear, helping Barnes scape and violating international laws.” Suddenly, Tony seems to have lost all of his energy. He tries to crack a smile, but it’s pretty obvious there’s nothing behind it except for exhaustion. “That’s it for today, people. Now go on; and be the sharks you are.” A few uncomfortable chuckles followed the weak joke; everyone in the room (and probably everyone in watching this across the globe) could realize how drained the interview had left the genius.

 

_{{---One week after the Superhero Civil War---}}_

“Give me that!” It’s heard while the screen moves around, in what’s obviously some kind of struggle for the device. A hospital room and a bed with a bandaged elevated foot can be seen, along with a heart monitor and few other beeping machines. “So” Says Tony Stark when the screen finally centers on him, clearing his throat. He looks…awful. Stitches on his forehead, bandages with drops of blood on his skull, black eye completely shut due to the swelling… “I’m sorry about the state of my face, but I can’t exactly wear make-up right now. I know there have been rumors of my apparent death, and that some information about my injuries has been leaked (and believe me, that person is going to suffer at the hands of my lawyers); so I decided to show my face (even if I can’t leave the hospital) and give you a statement of sorts. I am alive. I am bleeding and broken but not death. I am…incredibly sore all over, but I’ll make a full recovery, according to the doctors.  And I know what you are all wondering…does the large, curve bruise on my chest come from Captain America’s shield? All I have say about that it’s that yes, it does.” Silence, while Tony swallows before looking right into the camera “It was the last official act of Captain America. Not because he is dead or imprisoned, but because he pissed on the right to represent USA the moment he lifted the shield to defend a terrorist and kill an ally.” Tony took a deep breath and said:

“Captain America is a thing from the past. Captain (an unfairly given range) Steven Grant Rogers resigned to his title when he threw away the shield that represents all the values of this country, after breaking the helmet of the armor, crushing it into the Iron Man chest plate (shattering the Arc Reactor and breaking about 5 of my ribs) and escaping with a known felon. My father and the government of the US gave him that shield because they thought he was worthy of it. Last week, he proved us he isn’t, not anymore. From now on, Steve Rogers, one of the most wanted men, will be just that, a _man_ and a _criminal_.” After that last statement, a shaking hand could be seen pressing the ‘stop’ icon to end the video.


	2. PART II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you SO much for the kudos, comments, bookmarks, etc., it means the world to me ;D  
> Second, I want to write one more chapter, about Rogers and his 'allegations' which I've talked about in this chapter. Hopefully it won't take too long.  
> Third, the last part was written because I realised that Tony's statement overlooked what happened in Bucharest and was very sketchy about Barnes' escape in Berlin. Besides, I completely forgot to talk about the damages, to property and people. But I thought it'd be easier to make another statement about that than it'd be to add it to the first chapter and hope you wouldn't get confused. ^^  
> BTW, I *really* dislike Wanda, and I believe every word I said about her here, and I tried not to be *too* hard on her; but if she's your hero please don't be mad at me ñ.ñU  
> As always, any mistake you found, please inform me.  
> Hope you enjoy it!

_{{---Two months and two weeks after the Superhero Civil War---}}_

“Dr. Stark, what do you have to say to the allegations of Captain Steven Rogers claiming you put Wanda Maximoff under house arrest, _before_ the UN bombing in Vienna?” A reporter yells from the crowd. A silence sets when Tony stops in his way out of Stark Industries. He sighs and starts talking.

“I never put Scarlet Witch under house arrest. I left her in the compound with Vision to _protect_ her. I-” that’s as far as he gets before he is rudely interrupted. Idiotic press, why interrupt him if he is already in the middle of a response?

“Don’t you think that was…condescending?” Asks the same man; with a mean smile.

“Condescending? No way. Do you have any idea how many favors it takes to get a VISA for a woman that was part of HYDRA; that _volunteered_ for illegal human experimentation and that _killed_ on their orders? I honestly don’t know how we pulled that off the first time. After Lagos…she is not a US citizen, the _only_ place that she was safe was in the Avengers Compound. If she had gone outside, out into the city? There was no way to protect her. Yes, yes, I know she is a powerful enhanced individual; but she doesn’t have complete control of her powers. She does not _understand_ them. The public was afraid and furious, and we humans lash out if those two things are combined. If people on the street had attacked her…not even with punches, but insulting her, throwing things at her, chasing her…? There was a very real chance that she would have lost control of her magic and hurt, maybe even killed, somebody.” He takes a breath and continues. “I didn’t explain that to her, because I thought she was _smart_ enough to get it; I was… _obviously_ wrong about that. I made the same mistake with Rogers; I thought he would understand it because ‘greatest strategic mind of the century’, right? Except that’s not true, because he hears the word ‘Bucky’ and he completely lost it, time and time again. So you see; the only mistake I made was trusting in my team way too much.” All the sharks fall silent at this, but Tony knows it’s not going to last.

“I can’t help but notice you called her a woman. Steve Rogers called her a kid. Why do you think that is?” Asks a lady well in her forties, fifties, maybe. She looks fierce; black eyes sharp and stance sure and firm. The question is carefully enunciated; it’s like a wire ready to make him trip. Despite not knowing who she is; Tony knows her opinion _matters_. He needs to answer this correctly.

“I cannot, in good conscience, call her a kid. She is young, sure, but she is not a child; as I can’t say I was a kid when I started as a CEO in SI at 21, or like I can’t say Rogers was a kid when he accepted to be part of Project: Rebirth at 20 years old. Wanda Maximoff is a 25 year old woman; who volunteered (along with her brother, Pietro Maximoff) to participate as a subject in human experiments when she was 18, in order to get revenge. She became Scarlett Witch when was 22; started killing for HYDRA along with her brother when they were both 23. When she was 24 and the HYDRA base of Baron Von Strucker was raided by the Avengers, she used her powers to collaborate in the creation of the AI Ultron; and then, she and her brother allied with Ultron and on its orders she (I’d like to have a better phrase for this but I don’t have it) mind-raped us, and caused the Hulk to lose control, manipulating him into attacking the populated city of Johannesburg. At 24, she also helped the Avengers defeat Ultron, for which she was given a second chance and became an Avenger herself. From 24 to 25 she participated in several Avengers missions, against murderers, arms dealer, terrorists, etc., including the mission in Lagos. It would be extremely patronizing of me to refer to her a child, because if she can decide to work for the safety of the world risking her life to do it, she _is_ an adult. The same applies to any person that decides to enlist after finishing high school; they also become adults when they choose to be responsible for other people’s lives. I still worked to protect her because she was the younger Avenger and I care about her, but you can only use the excuse of being young so long.” Tony doesn’t pay attention to anyone else but this lady, who looks intensely at him for another moment before giving a small nod and a miniscule smile; more like a twitch of lips, really. He feels relived because he knows he answered appropriately and this woman will make sure no one twist his words, he just knows it. So with a mocking little wave he gets in his car leaves.

_{{---Ten months after the Superhero Civil War---}}_

“Dr. Stark, is there a motive for your new fashion choice? Even if your style is as impeccable as ever, you only ever wear black. Even the iconic Iron Man armor has gone from gold and red to black with accents of gold, red eyes and a red Arc Reactor.”

“Well, the reason is simple enough: I’m in mourning.” The face of the journalist reveals that she expected something else completely, but still looking for a great article, she keeps questioning him.

“Mourning _what_ exactly? The Avengers? Your friendship with Steve Rogers?”

“I am grieving for everything: my parents’ death all over again; the loss of the team I had considered my family and the lack of trust they had in me; the betrayal of someone I thought as a friend… The changes in the Iron Man armor have always shown the changes I went through since Afghanistan and this time it’s no different. It’s just more noticeable.” He nods at her before continuing his way out of a Starbucks; this is not his joint of choice to buy a good coffee but right now he is running on stubbornness and caffeine (the bags under his eyes reveal at least three days with no sleep), and he needs to greet T’Challa in the airport in under an hour. He sighs and swallows a bit of his bitter drink before getting in the car and sings the chauffer to start driving.  

_{{---Three months after the Superhero Civil War---}}_

“Dr. Stark, could you enlighten us about what happened between the Vienna bombing and the arrest of the Winter Soldier in Bucharest, and his subsequent escape? It’s said that Captain America was involved in both the arrest and the breakout, and that Barnes counted with Halmut Zemo’s help. Your press conference last month covered just the basics of these events, and the public would like to know more.” The man who asks the question is smart; there is no doubt about it. Not many people have noticed the lack of details and Tony was grateful for that: the US government might have put a kill-on-sight order for Steve Rogers, but the man represented the nation for _decades_ and they don’t want even more bad press related to the man. Especially when said man walked around with the American flag on his ass, wreaking havoc on Rumania and _Germany_ , of all places, causing great property damage and injuring (or being linked to the injury of) their habitants. Shame, but it’s not like he could lie about this to protect Rogers. It’s not like he _would_. He won’t and that’s final.

“First of all, the bombing to the UN, as you all know, was orchestrated by Coronel Halmut Zemo, who used to run a Sokovian kill-squad called Echo Scorpion. He is a highly intelligent man that lost his family in Sokovia and promised himself that he would end the Avengers. I am…ashamed to say that for the most part he completed his mission. To accomplish his goal, he needed information of a very…delicate and classified nature (I am referring to my parents’… murder),” it’s still hard for him to say the word, it seems “which is why he needed access to James Buchannan Barnes, the Winter Soldier, one HYDRA’s most dexterous killers and the one who completed that mission. That’s why Zemo decided to bomb a high profile meeting of the UN wearing prosthetics to look like James Barnes and let himself be caught in camera; with the sole purpose of calling attention to the Winter Soldier so he could be apprehended by Special Forces and interrogated by Zemo. James Barnes was found living in Bucharest and officers were immediately deployed to detain him. The still then Captain America and The Falcon tried to aid James Barnes into escaping; and the fight and chase that came out of that decision caused more than a million dollars in property damage; and more importantly, left nineteen hospitalized officers, two of them are in coma and another one in ICU; seven civilians injured, among them three children; and one death, also a civilian.” Pause, a few moments so the information can settle. Yeah, hard to believe Captain America would put children in danger, right?

“As soon as Barnes was apprehended the UN contacted a psychiatrist, Dr. Theo Broussard, to talk to the man. Zemo intercepted and killed this man, and took his place so he could talk to the Winter Soldier alone. After he got the information he wanted, he used a device to cut off the power on the building, setting James Barnes free. The Winter Soldier murdered four officers, injured eight and crippled another three that tried to stop him; besides killing two civilians, office workers who were trying to leave the building, on his way out. Steven Rogers and Samuel Wilson assisted Barnes in his breakout and weren’t seen on heard of again until Leipzig, 24 hours later, when they showed up in full tactical gear and with their weapons of choice back in their hands; thanks to the help of an ex-CIA agent, Sharon Carter. You know the results of the fight, but what you don’t know is that the cost of the destruction that ensued in the battle; it easily surpass the eight zeros. And of course, it’s not like we can send them the bill…or in any case, like they would pay for it or could afford it. _That’s_ the length of their involvement. Is there another question?” He really hopes there isn’t. He hates when SI interviews end up becoming discussions about the ‘Superhero Civil War’; and he knows Pepper hates it too.

“Dr. Stark, do you think Captain Steve Rogers would have tried to aid James Barnes anyway had he known officers and civilians, especially children, would be injured and even killed?” this reporter has an evil gleam in her eyes, and is smirking subtly; waiting anxiously for the answer. And of course this happens. Everything was easier when he just got up and left everyone with their questions unanswered, but he is trying to be good, so he _had_ to ask. Stupid, that was so stupid. This is why Tony hates interviews, it doesn’t matter how young he started or how much experience he has gained; there is always _one_ question that will make you wish you could not answer and run like hell in hopes they won’t catch you. Unfortunately, it’s usually the question _everyone_ wants to hear the answer to.   

Tony would mentally apologize to Rogers for what he is about to say; but honestly? He believes 100% that this is the truth and it’s not like the man deserves any _apologies_ , for God’s sake.

“…I believe that in his mind, James Barnes is more important than any casualties, and that if his best bud is safe; any collateral damage is acceptable.” He says this with a heavy heart; because he knows that many, many people will be disappointed. Hell. Even some of the goddamned _press_ looked shocked and sad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave me a kudo, a comment, an idea ;P
> 
> Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Leave me a comment, a kudo, an idea... ;P
> 
> Kisses


End file.
